1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a cane juice beverage and, more specifically, to naturally sweetened and fermented cane juice beverage having an appreciable shelf life.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Beverages which have the juice of sugar cane as a component thereof have been known in the prior art. One such prior art beverage is a sorghum wine which is discussed in the U.S. Pat. No. Myers 37,421 wherein a concentrated syrup of cane sugar is fermented, colored with carmelized sugar and aged under anaerobic conditions at two different temperatures to develop a characteristic flavor which is comparable to a Madeira wine. Other prior art which is exemplary, wherein cane sugar is used in the formation of a beverage other than as a sweetener per se are Coates (U.S. Pat. No. 3,093,548), Pilla (U.S. Pat. No. 4,178,389). These and other prior art cane sugar beverages have been plagued by short shelf life as well as having flavors which, to date, have not been well received by the public at large. It is the desire, especially in view of the large amount of sugar cane being produced, to provide a beverage which utilizes the cane sugar, which has a universally desirable flavor and which has a relatively long shelf life.